God Breathed Us Into Existence

Handcrafted items take time to create and require extensive planning, but the complexity of the product and the skill of the master determine its quality as well as its uniqueness. While I’m not much of a handcrafter, several of my friends have mastered a particular art, be it knitting special blankets for their loved ones, painting a portrait because they hope to capture someone’s smile, cross-stitching a favorite quote or Bible verse for a friend/relative, or as the picture above shows, designing a beautiful keychain replicating a rosary with prayer beads, charms of Saint Michael and Raphael, as well as a cross. I carry this keychain with me every day, and it not only reminds me of my friendship with its designer but also of my relationship with “God, [who] created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1).

In all of the examples listed above, the handcrafter likely looked at his/her creation and said something like, “This looks pretty good.” In Genesis 1, the very first chapter of the Bible, we read how God created the earth in a six-day period - light on the first day, the sky and air on the second day, land and plans on the third day, the sun and moon on the fourth day, birds and water animals on the fifth day, animals and man on the sixth day. God then called his creation good, and on the seventh day, God rested. But I’m struck by Genesis 1:31-2:2:

    "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning

    - the sixth day.
    

    Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.

    By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from        all his work."

God called all that he created, including us, “very good,” yet He knew we would rebel against him one day.  “Logically, that doesn’t seem to make sense,” a nonbeliever once said to me.  He went on to ask, “Why would God bother to create a world that would do such a preposterous thing?”  One of my immediate responses was something like, “Well, He didn’t orchestrate the fall of man.  We did that all by ourselves.”  Then I realized my answer wasn’t going to suffice for my friend, so I followed up with the beautiful truth that God simply wants a relationship with us, much like a parent wants a relationship with his/her child.  Does the parent know that the child will likely rebel at some point?  Of course.  But that doesn’t take away the love the parent has for the child, nor does it negate the desire to bring the child into the world.  What this inevitably leads to is one final point – when we turn away from God’s love, mercy, and grace, we have the choice to come running back – i.e. free will.  And if you are a parent or a child, I doubt I have to convince you of the joy that comes when that reunion occurs.  Another topic for another blog!

I felt loved and appreciated when my friend gave me that keychain, and it still serves as a reminder of the planning and care that went into its creation.  He didn’t have to spend time creating such beauty, but he chose to design this gift with me in mind.  God could have stopped at day five, but He chose to finish his master plan by bringing me, AND YOU, into the world.  He is the master craftsman, and you are of great worth to Him:  “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him” (Colossians 1:16).

God breathed life into us!  The Hebrew word for “Spirit” is the word Ruach, which can also mean “Breath” or “Wind.”  The opening scene of Genesis depicts God breathing us into existence.  As we prepare to celebrate His resurrection, may we be reminded that we were handcrafted/made in his own image.  Consider the work of your hands.  What are you designing to bring joy and reverence to God, the master craftsman? 

Author: Mary Beth Farrell, English Department